[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 62 (Thursday, April 29, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2982-S2983]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CONGRATULATING THE NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE ON ITS 75TH
ANNIVERSARY
Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President, I now ask unanimous consent that the
Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Con. Res. 62,
submitted earlier today.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the concurrent
resolution by title.
The bill clerk read as follows:
A concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 62) congratulating
the outstanding professional public servants, both past and
present, of the Natural Resources Conservation Service on the
occasion of its 75th anniversary.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the
concurrent resolution.
Mrs. LINCOLN. Mr. President, today the Senate is considering a
resolution recognizing the 75th Anniversary of the Natural Resources
Conservation Service, known as NRCS.
Congress established the Soil Conservation Service, the predecessor
to NRCS, in April of 1935. Since that time, the agency has aided
landowners in implementing conservation measures to protect and enhance
our Nation's natural resources. Meanwhile, American farmers and
ranchers have become the most productive of any on Earth--ensuring a
safe, diverse, and nutritious food supply for their fellow citizens and
many of the world's citizens.
Today, NRCS administers more than 20 conservation programs that
provide technical and financial assistance to landowners. These
programs improve soil and water quality, increase energy efficiency,
enhance agricultural practices, and retire marginal lands to create and
protect wildlife habitat. NRCS has directly contributed to the
protection or establishment of 160 million acres of wildlife habitat
and to the preservation, restoration, or enhancement of 9 million acres
of wetlands.
We have seen real progress over the past 75 years, but I would argue
private lands conservation is more important in 2010 than ever before,
as we confront challenges such as climate change and loss of open
space, and explore opportunities for creating wealth in rural
communities through renewable energy production and water quality and
carbon credit trading.
Properly managed working lands generate environmental benefits we all
enjoy, such as clean air, water made clean by filtering through forests
and fields, high-quality soils that capture carbon and make life
possible, and wildlife habitat that promotes biodiversity and offers
recreational opportunities such as fishing and hunting. With 70 percent
of U.S. lands in private hands, the continuation of successful farm
bill conservation programs--along with other technical assistance
efforts--should be of interest to all of us.
NRCS programs provide important public benefits while working with
landowners on a voluntary basis. This unique approach is aided by the
agency's presence in every county of every State. Agency employees in
every office work toward the common goal of conserving natural
resources for the benefit of the landowner and all Americans.
I urge my colleagues to support this important resolution recognizing
the NRCS's 75 years of service.
Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the
concurrent resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the
motions to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening
action or debate, and any statements relating to the measure be printed
in the Record.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 62) was agreed to.
The preamble was agreed to.
The concurrent resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:
S. Con. Res. 62
Whereas the well-being of the United States is dependent on
productive soils along with abundant and high-quality water
and related natural resources;
Whereas the Natural Resources Conservation Service (in this
resolution referred to as ``NRCS'') was established as the
Soil Conservation Service in the Department of Agriculture in
1935 to assist farmers, ranchers, and other landowners in
protecting soil and water resources on private lands;
Whereas Hugh Hammond Bennett, the first Chief of the Soil
Conservation Service and the ``father of soil conservation'',
led the creation of the modern soil conservation movement
that established soil and water conservation as a national
priority;
Whereas the NRCS, with the assistance of President Franklin
D. Roosevelt, State governments, and local partners,
developed a new mechanism of American conservation service
delivery, which brings together private individuals with
Federal, State, and local governments to achieve common
conservation objectives;
Whereas the NRCS provides a vital public service by
supplying technical expertise and financial assistance to
cooperating private landowners for the conservation of soil
and water resources;
Whereas the NRCS, as authorized by Congress, has developed
and provided land conservation programs that have resulted in
the restoration and preservation of millions of acres of
wetlands, forests, and grasslands that provide innumerable
benefits to the general public in the form of recreational
opportunities, wildlife habitat, water quality, and reduced
soil erosion;
Whereas the NRCS is the world leader in soil science and
soil surveying;
Whereas the NRCS is the national leader in the inventory of
natural resources on private lands, providing national
leaders and the public with the status and trends related to
these resources and helping forecast the availability of
critical water supplies;
Whereas the NRCS has helped communities develop and
implement thousands of locally led projects that continue to
provide flood control, soil conservation, water supply, and
recreational benefits to all Americans, while providing
business and job creation opportunities as well;
Whereas, since its establishment, the NRCS has developed,
tested, and demonstrated conservation practices, helped
develop the science and art of conservation, and continues to
strive toward innovation;
Whereas the NRCS encourages and works with landowners and
land users to adopt conservation practices and technologies
in a voluntary manner to address natural resource concerns;
Whereas NRCS employees serve in offices in every State and
territory, while other employees assist other countries and
governments;
[[Page S2983]]
Whereas, while some NRCS employees work directly with
landowners, other employees serve in support of NRCS field
operations, but all work toward a common goal of improving
the condition of all natural resources found on private
lands, knowing when they succeed, all Americans benefit; and
Whereas the NRCS has been ``helping people, help the land''
for 75 years: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives
concurring), That Congress--
(1) congratulates the outstanding conservation
professionals of the Natural Resources Conservation Service
on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Natural
Resources Conservation Service;
(2) recognizes the vital role conservation plays in the
well-being of the United States;
(3) expresses its continued commitment to the conservation
of natural resources on private lands in both the national
interest and as a national priority; and
(4) recognizes the services that the Natural Resources
Conservation Service provides to the United States by helping
farmers, ranchers, and other landowners to protect soil,
water, and related natural resources.
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